It's All Real
by kazoquel4
Summary: Paul always knew Percy was different. But he didn't know he was this different... My take on Paul finding out Percy's a demigod.


As an English teacher, Paul Blofis had seen his fair share of weird things. But finally learning the truth about his step-son, Percy… well, that kind of pushed him over the edge.

He had always known there was something different about Percy. At first glance, he could pass off as a normal teenager. His dark black hair was shaggy and desperately in need of a haircut, and Paul often found him stuffing his face with cookies in the middle of the night just like any teenage boy. But there were a few… differences about the boy that Paul couldn't quite pinpoint. Maybe it was the streak of grey that ran through his hair (Sally had assured him that it was just dye, but Paul doubted that). Maybe it was his behavior. Percy always acted as though he had something to hide, something he never quite told the truth about. And as a bonus, he would always show up in the apartment completely filthy and covered with injuries, although he never explained where he got them.

Or maybe it was his eyes.

They were a dazzlingly bright green, alight with joy and humor, but they had many layers. Looking closely at them, Paul found they had a slightly haunted look to them- this boy had seen things far past his age, been through so much. His eyes could be laughing and sparkling one second, and roaring with anger the next.

Paul desperately wanted to figure out just what was different about his step-son, but he only came to one conclusion:

Something weird was going on.

That conclusion didn't exactly explain much.

Paul was currently reclining in the living room, reading the paper. Sally had run out ten minutes ago to do her errands, and had promised to return in an hour. Percy had disappeared early that morning for who-knows-what. It was odd to have the whole house to himself; usually _someone _was here. But Paul found the silence soothing, and smiled slightly as he relaxed with his paper.

BANG.

Paul jumped as the door flew open. Dropping the paper, he spun around in his armchair to see Percy standing in the doorway looking a bit worse for the wear. His clothes were tattered and covered in what looked like blood. A deep gash crossed his forehead, oozing red blood. He searched around the small apartment absentmindedly before his gaze fell on Paul.

"Oh, hey Paul," he said, smiling groggily at him. "How're you?"

Paul leapt to his feet as Percy started to wobble. Hurrying forward, he caught Percy as the teen's legs gave out beneath him and he collapsed.

"Percy?" Paul asked in alarm, looking at the boy in his arms. His step-son's eyes had shut, and he looked to be unconscious. "Percy, what happened?"

Percy cracked his eyes open again. They were unfocused and clouded, as if Percy was in another place entirely.

"No, Atlas, I won't hold up the sky again," he sighed. "Do it yourself."

Paul blinked. Alright then. Lifting Percy into his arms, he shut the door with his foot, carrying the teen over to the couch. He gently laid his step-son down on the cushions, eyebrows drawn with worry.

He sat back, kneeling next to the couch and staring down at Percy. He looked horrible. His skin was pale and caked with sweat, dirt, and the blood running from the cut on his forehead. Bruises and scratches crisscrossed down his arms, and he was frowning slightly, grimacing from the pain.

Suddenly, his eyes flew open. Paul jumped again, startled by the awareness in his bright green eyes.

Percy blinked a few times, shaking his head to clear it, before his gaze landed on his step-father. "Paul?" he croaked out hoarsely.

Paul nodded, relief setting in as he realized Percy recognized him and appeared to be aware of his surroundings. "Yeah, it's me," he said quietly, reaching out to gently brush Percy's hair out of his eyes. Hesitating slightly, he asked, "Er, Percy? What happened to you?"

Percy shook his head, pressing the heels of his hands to his eyes. "Long story," he murmured.

Then, to Paul's great surprise, Percy sat up, swinging his legs over the side of the couch.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa," Paul protested immediately. "I don't think you should be getting up. I can call the ambulance and-"

"I'm fine," Percy said, waving him off.

Paul stared in disbelief. "_Fine_?!" he asked, taking in Percy's battered appearance.

Percy seemed to follow his train of thought and grinned slightly. "This? I've had worse," he said, waving it off. Then he winced, grunting slightly in pain as he put a hand to his temple. "I got clipped in the head pretty good, though… it's a wonder I made it up to the apartment…"

Bracing himself, Percy pushed himself onto his feet. He took a sharp inhale of breath as he wobbled, nearly falling, but Paul reached up to steady him.

"Easy, Percy," he warned, standing up.

Percy shot him a sheepish smile. "Thanks," he said, casting his eyes over to the kitchen. Taking a deep breath, he pitched himself forward, walking slowly over with a slight limp.

Paul walked right next to him, watching him worriedly. He didn't like the look of that cut one bit. It was long and deep and already bruising around the edges. Paul was surprised Percy was even still _conscious _at this point, let alone walking. But he watched as the boy stumbled over to the medicine cabinet, bracing himself against the counter.

"Percy, nothing in there is going to help you much," Paul pointed out in concern. "Really, let me drive you to the hospital…"

Percy didn't answer. He threw open the cabinet and rifled through to the very back. His face lit up as he found what he wanted, and out came… a Ziploc baggie of lemon bars? What were those doing there?

"Yes," Percy said in triumph as he pulled it open. "Thanks, Mom."

Paul frowned at Percy. The boy was obviously still hallucinating from his head wound. What would a lemon bar do to help him?

"Percy-"

Percy dropped a couple of pieces in his mouth, chewing slowly. Setting the bag down, he moved over to the sink, bending over it. Paul hurried over, thinking he was going to puke, but the teen simply turned on the faucet, letting the water wash over his head. Alright, _now _Paul was _really _confused.

"What are you doing?" he asked in alarm.

As if in response, Percy turned off the water. When he straightened up and turned back around, Paul stumbled away. His step-son wasn't even wet, but that wasn't the problem. The problem was his head wound was _gone. _Except for a faint bruising that was barely noticeable, there was no sign the gash had ever been there.

"But- how- cut- what-" Paul stammered, backing away from Percy.

Percy eyed him with something akin to amusement before sighing. He muttered something under his breath in a different language before walking over to sit at the counter. It sounded like… Greek?

"Whoa," Paul said, pointing at him. "Since when do _you _know Greek?"

Percy grabbed the plate of blue cookies resting on the counter, the one that Sally had ordered Percy _not _to touch. Grabbing one, he broke off a piece, popping it into his mouth. "It's a long story," he said through his cookie. "But I suppose it's time you know the truth…"

Paul perked up. The truth? What truth? Maybe he would finally get an explanation for all those strange goings-on with his step-son.

"Sit down," Percy suggested, pointing to the seat across from him. "You'll probably need it…"

Getting slightly nervous by this point, Paul lowered himself to the seat. For a while they just stared at each other, eyes locked. It seemed like Percy was scrutinizing him with those _eyes_. Yes, this boy had definitely seen some things boys his age shouldn't have to witness…

"Well, I won't beat around the bush," Percy finally said in a cheerful voice, grinning crookedly at him. "You know those myths about Greek mythology?"

"The Greek gods?" Paul asked, taken-aback. Wherever he had expected this conversation to go, it wasn't to the subject of mythology. "Myths and heroes?"

"And monsters," Percy added grimly. "Well, to put it bluntly, those aren't myths. The Greek gods, myths, monsters, all of it, they're real, and very much alive today. They follow the flame of Western civilization, the country in power, and in this case, it's America."

Paul stared at him. "Um… alright… what does this have to do with you?" he asked carefully.

"You know how the gods would sometimes come down and have children with mortals in the stories? Well, they haven't changed. At all. They're still having half mortal children, called demigods. And this has to do with me because…?"

"You're a demigod," Paul said flatly.

Percy grinned widely. "Son of Poseidon, at your service!" he said brightly.

Paul stared at him. Yes, he was worried for his step-son's sanity. He looked so relaxed, so casual, as though he were simply discussing the weather and not telling Paul that Greek gods were _real. _Percy had never struck him as a liar, and it was clear he wasn't now; Percy was horrid at lying to people he cared about, as Paul had witnessed several times. So Percy must truly believe in what he's saying. Oh, yes, Paul needed to get him to a hospital as soon as possible.

"Er…" he said, frowning deeply.

Percy's face fell slightly, and he grimaced. "You don't believe me, do you?" he said. It wasn't much of a question.

"Percy… I'm sorry, but that's just not possible," Paul said apologetically. "Are you trying to tell me you're half _god_?"

"Yes, I am," Percy snapped, suddenly a bit angry. "And I know it's a lot to take in, but you have to believe me. It's all true. My dad's Poseidon, and my uncles are Zeus and Hades-"

Thunder rumbled outside, despite the fact that it was a perfectly clear day. Paul jumped, but Percy just rolled his eyes. "Yeah, yeah, I know," he muttered.

Paul frowned. "Percy…"

"I'm not lying," Percy stated firmly, crossing his arms. "I could prove it to you, if you wanted."

Paul sat back, deciding to humor the boy for as long as possible. "Alright," he said, "go ahead."

Percy stood up and walked back over to the sink. Turning on the faucet, he stared at the running water for a second, focusing.

"What are you-" Paul started, then gasped as the water stopped running. Percy held out his hand, and a stream of water formed a ball and hovered in the air, spinning slowly. Percy turned back to Paul, grinning as the water hovered over his hand. "Believe me now?" he asked, spreading his hands. Paul watched in amazement as the ball split into two smaller ones, one for each hand.

"Y-yes," Paul squeaked, eyes wide.

Percy dropped the balls back into the sink. As soon as he stopped concentrating, they broke, falling in a neat stream down the sink. Percy took his seat again, picking up the cookie as though nothing had happened.

"Told you so," he said, tossing the rest in his mouth.

"Alright," Paul said, putting his fingers to his temples and shutting his eyes. "So you're a… demigod? And your father…"

"Was really Poseidon," Percy agreed.

Paul was silent for a minute before a broad smile burst out on his face. "I met a Greek god!" he exclaimed. "That's so… cool!"

Percy laughed. "Yes, very cool."

"And that camp you go to every summer?" Paul asked eagerly.

"It's a training camp for demigods," Percy explained. "Camp Half-Blood."

"This is…. Whoa," Paul said, laughing. Then he frowned slightly. "So what really happened to you today?"

Percy sighed as though he had the weight of the world on his shoulders. "The gods are real, and so are the monster. It's the demigods' job to fight these monsters. I got attacked by a couple of _empousai _on the way home. They got a few hits in when I wasn't looking," he said, grimacing.

"Empousai?" Paul asked. He pressed a hand to his head. "Empousai."

"Are you alright?" Percy asked worriedly.

"I just learned my step-son is half god," Paul asked, raising an eyebrow at him. "Of course I'm alright! This explains everything!"

"Hello?" a voice called from the doorway. The two boys looked up to see Sally enter the kitchen, lugging a pile of bags with her.

"Mom!" Percy said, leaping to his feet. He relieved her of some of her bags, setting them on the counter.

Sally smiled at him. "Thank you, dear. I wasn't expecting you to be home this early," she said, shooting a look at Paul, who still looked slightly pale. "Honey, are you alright?"

"I'm fine," Paul muttered, pinching the bridge of his nose. "Just a bit… stunned."

"Why?" Sally asked, confused. She swept her gaze across the kitchen and saw the open bag of Ambrosia. "Percy, why is this out?" she asked, slightly alarmed.

"I got attacked on the way home," Percy muttered.

"Oh, sweetheart!" she said, rushing over to put a hand to his forehead. "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine," Percy said, rolling his eyes.

Sally shot a glance over at Paul. "Oh, Paul, I…" she started, unsure of what to say to her husband.

"He knows," Percy said abruptly.

Sally blinked. "What?"

"I told him the truth," Percy went on. "About… you know, everything. When I came up here all beat up, I decided it was the right time."

"Oh…" Sally said, shooting a worried look at Paul. She tried to smile. "Well, I guess you know now… hope we didn't scare you off…"

Paul shook his head. "Don't worry, Sally, you didn't scare me off. It's fine, I just… wish you had told me earlier. I _knew _something was different about Percy."

Sally smiled widely in relief. "Oh, good. Things will be so much easier now that you know."

"Percy?"

Paul stared in wide-eyed disbelief as an image formed in the living room. It was a floating picture of a boy with… horns? He was looking around the room, and his gaze fell on Percy.

"Peerrrcy!" he bleated. "I need to talk to you!"

Percy sighed. "Alright, G-Man," he said, walking over to the floating boy. The two started to talk in low voices, as if 'G-Man' was right there.

"But- how-?" Paul stammered, stunned.

"Iris Message," Sally explained. Seeing the look on Paul's face, she frowned. "Maybe you should go to bed, honey. This is a lot to take in."

Paul nodded dimly. "Yeah," he muttered. "I'm going to… go to bed."

He walked mechanically out of the room, feeling as though his brain was on overload. Greek gods were real. Percy's father was Poseidon, the god of the seas. There was a boy with horns floating in his living room, talking with his step-son.

And yet, Paul felt slightly peaceful now that he knew the truth. Although he knew things would only get weirder, at least he knew the truth.

Yeah. Paul definitely needed some rest.

* * *

**A/N: Crummy ending, but whatever. I was just thinking about how Paul learned the truth, and this came out. Not the most original idea, but this is my take on it. **

**Please leave a review if you read!**

**Xoxo,**

**Kayla**


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